After Hours
by OsirisBlue
Summary: While searching for the gold he had stashed 15 years earlier, an ex-con and two inexperienced criminals accidentally get locked in a supermarket along with two workers for a whole night. I suck at summaries, so see the story for yourself and don't afraid to leave feedback.
1. Chapter 1

**After Hours**

 **The Undertaker as Will**

 **Dean Ambrose as Jonny**

 **Roman Reigns as Rome**

 **Charlotte Flair as Ashley**

"Prisoner 112290!"

Will Calaway, who'd been perched up on the top bunk, looked up from the dime novel to glower at the beefy C.O. standing at the door.

"Gather up your belongings and let's go," said the C.O. in a curt tone.

Will didn't gather up anything, he just followed the C.O. to the corridor. He didn't want anything that would serve as a memento for him. He'd already had enough memories of the place.

For the past 15 years, Will did his bid at East Jersey State Prison, a large maximum security prison that lay in the middle of Avenel, New Jersey, just on the borderline of Rahway. Prison was nothing new to Will, he had been in and out since the mid 80s and had a rap sheet that stretched as long as the Missouri river, with offenses ranging from arson to theft. But the sentence he was given was the most time he'd ever served. He'd played the incident in his head nearly everyday.

He was doing 90 on the Garden State Parkway in an orange '68 Plymouth Barracuda that he'd recently won in a street race. Fueled up on Jack Daniels and beer chasers, Will was weaving in and out of traffic when he heard the familiar sound of police sirens in the distance.

"Hello officers," said Will as they red and blue lights flashed in his rear view. "I was wondering when you'd show up."

He was tanked, speeding, and not to mention that he had an ounce of pot and a Desert Eagle in the car with him. He figured if he was going to get arrested, he might as well go out with a bang. He put the pedal to the floor and exited on 130 swerving sharply.

The police chased Will all around Trenton. Will roared with mirth, adrenaline peaking at his highest, as he made sharp rights and lefts, the police barely keeping up with him. He pulled to a stop, stuck his head out of the window and flipped the bird at the oncoming horde of police cars before pulling off again, cackling.

When it seemed that the 'Cuda would pull away, he lost control trying to avoid a dog running across the street. The Cuda skidded and spun before crashing into a fruit stand. The owner of the stand got out of the way just in time as the police swarmed the wrecked Cuda like angry locusts.

Will was charged with reckless endangerment, criminal possession of a weapon, possession of a controlled substance, driving while intoxicated, and an additional charge of contempt of court after he kept mouthing off to the judge and bailiffs. The judge ordered him to do the full 15 years to which Will shrugged indifferently as they escorted him out.

"Good luck, Calaway," said the C.O. as they made it to the gate. "Hopefully, we'll never have to see each other again."

Will observed him with his piercing green gaze. He disliked the whole lot of them; Police officers, correctional officers, probation officers, judges, they all sucked and he made sure he gave them a difficult time every chance he got. But nonetheless, he appreciated the gesture the C.O. made. He nodded his head curtly to show he understood as the gate parted.

Will needed a ride. Hitch hiking was out of the question; Who in their right mind would take in a heavily tattooed ex-convict, who happened to be six foot eight and 305 pounds of solid muscle? Will needed a plan.

After making sure he was as far away as possible from the prison, Will pretended he was waiting for the light to turn green. A wine red Ford Fairmont pulled up right in front of him. Will made like he was crossing the street, before yanking the door of the Fairmont open.

"Out the car, lard ass!" shouted Will, grabbing the overweight, bespectacled man from out the seat and throwing him to the ground. Before the man knew what was going on, Will had pulled off, leaving a trail of dirt and smoke behind him.

"Next stop," said Will as he drove up Edgar Road, "Maplewood."

15 years earlier, months before his arrest, Will heard that Tony "The Fist" Pelozzo, (the #1 mob boss who had most of North Jersey under his reign) had participated in a heist where they'd accumulated 50.3 million dollars worth of gold and jewelry, and would be moving the stolen goods to Pennsylvania. Seizing the opportunity, Will planned to commandeer the van they would be using to move the stuff. He purchased a police uniform and gear, forged a badge, and then stole a black Ford Crown Victoria police car.

Looking like a legit police officer, Will spotted the van driving up Pennsylvania Route 154 . On cue, he turned on the siren and hoped like hell they would take the bait. Miraculously, the van pulled to a stop. Will mimicked the slow deliberate walk of a police officer as he approached the van. The driver pulled down the window and tried to appear casual, though beads of sweat were rolling down his greasy pockmarked skin.

"What's the problem, officer?" asked the driver in a deep North Jersey accent.

"Problem?" said Will in his equally deep voice that had a hint of a drawl due to a childhood spent in Texas, "Apart from being a walking sweat gland, the problem is that you're still alive."

Before the driver could register what he'd said, Will pulled out a Beretta M92 and shot the driver twice in the head. Acting quickly, he pulled the body out of the van and dumped it in the wooded area where hopefully bears would eat it. He then cleaned the windows and discarded every incriminating artifacts before changing back into civilian clothing and took over the wheel of the van, driving back to New Jersey.

Once in Jersey, he drove to an abandoned factory in Maplewood, where he hid the gold and diamonds in a wall, which he plastered back up, before getting the van spray painted and abandoning it in Woodbridge. He sat on the gold for a while, planning to flee to South America when the time was right. Unfortunately, that didn't work out.

There was a high probability that the factory had been demolished and the gold seized. Will needed to know for sure. But first, he had to get drunk. And after being bunched up with a bunch of men for 15 years, Will was keen on having a nice pair of titties jiggling in his face.


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

An middle aged man was jogging across the Kennedy Memorial Park bridge in Sayreville. The big marathon was approaching, and he had been training for five months for it.

He never saw it coming. As he reached a bend, a tall, muscular figure emerged from the tree. Before the man had time to react, he was clotheslined to the ground. He fell backwards, his head hitting the concrete hard enough to split open. In blind pain, he tried to look up at his attacker, but was met with three hard blows to the face, the second one knocking him unconscious.

Acting quickly, he went rifled through the jogger's pockets and found his wallet. He took the money and ran off to an '87 Buick Grand National, in which his friend and cohort was waiting at the wheel.

"How much did you get?" asked Jonny as they pulled off.

Rome, the attacker, counted the money.

"Two hundred," he said in his deep voice similar to the low rumblings of a lion.

"Nice," said Jonny, "More than enough to get some gas and grub until the next hit up."

Jonny and Rome had been best friends for five years. They two met each other working the graveyard shift as security guards for a federal building. After breaking into a safe and stealing over fifty thousand dollars from it, the two decided that taking things that didn't belong to them was a great career path.

Standing six foot three with flowing black locks, Rome was built like a defensive tackle, which he had been when he played semi-pro. He never really said much and was always as cool as an ice cube in tense situations. He was usually the one who performed the job of roughing up the victims.

Jonny was a scruffy, wiry man in his early 30s with dirty blond hair and had the aura of him that exuded instability. He never worried or planned things, he just did it and couldn't care less whether he died doing it. In fact, the more dangerous the situation, the more fun it was for Jonny.

"Seriously, Jonny," said Rome as Jonny jammed out to Suicidal Tendencies, "we got to hit up something worth jacking, man."

"It's always money with you, man," said Jonny, "It's not always about the money, Rome, it's the act itself; Pointing your gun at some mother fucker's face and threatening to shoot his face off unless he hands over the money, man that gets me semi-erect! The thrill of it all that matters. The fucking thrill!"

"Yeah?" said Rome, raising his eyebrows, "thrills ain't going pay my bills or feed my daughter. We haven't had a decent score since we stuck those rich kids in Marlboro two months ago. I'm tired of this nickel and dime shit, man."

"Alright, man, relax," said Jonny, as they entered Main Street, "We'll get some serious dinero my friend, just sit tight."

"I hope you're right," said Rome, "I'm sick of Spam sandwiches every night. My farts are starting to smell like that shit."

"Oh, it's not that bad," said Jonny, "There's so many recipes you can make with Spam. Gotta improvise, brotha."

It was easy for Jonny. He didn't have a family or responsibilities that came with it, and frequently moved around from house to house more than a military brat. Financial priorities weren't a burden as it was to Rome. He didn't plan ahead for the future, as it wasn't bright.

"What're stopping here for?" asked Rome as Jonny pulled into the parking lot of a 7-11

"I'm in the mood for a Big Gulp," said Jonny, "All this mugging has got me parched."

The two men got out of the Buick, and entered the 7-11, where the cashier, a meek Indian man in his early 20s, eyed them warily.

Jonny walked to the back. On the way, he grabbed the reuseable shopping bags that elderly women took to the supermarket with them.

"Let's see," he muttered after he filled a large Big Gulp Cup with ice. "Orange Fanta, Sprite, Coke, Mountain Dew, Mello Yello...I'll have a little of them all."

One by one, he pressed the buttons and filled his cup up with each of the sodas. He then offered to give Rome a sip.

"No thanks," said Rome as he picked up a bag of Doritos, "you can drink that diabetic death trap by yourself."

Jonny went up and down the aisles indiscreetly, filling the bags with food as he went. When it was time to ring up, he took two dollars out of his pocket and threw it on the counter and proceeded to walk out.

"Hey!" said the clerk, "you pay for the other things too, buddy!"

Jonny turned slowly on the spot and gave the cashier a withering look.

"Or what?" he said, in a voice that promised violence

"Or I'll call the cops, that's what." said the cashier firmly

"You ain't gonna do shit, Apu!" snarled Jonny as he pulled out a black .357 Magnum and aimed it at the cashier, "except hand over all the money in that cash register and five cartons of Newport Reds. Hurry the fuck up!"

The cashier, quivering like a cold dog, quickly opened the cash register and handed the money over to Jonny, before giving him three cigarette cartons.

"Smart choice," said Rome, taking the cigarettes from Jonny, "now you forget about all of this and tend to your business if you know what's best for you."

As the two men hit the main road again, Jonny counted the money he'd just taken.

"Two-hundred and fifty," said Jonny "and, you've got some food to feed your daughter. You can thank me later, homes."

Rome laughed in spite of himself.

"So, what do you want to do now?" he asked

"I thought of something as I left 7-11," said Jonny as they stopped at a red light.

"You actually had a thought?" said Rome

"Yep," said Jonny, grinning maniacally, "you know a place that would have a lot of easy money and nobody thinks to rob it?"

"I don't know," said Rome, "what?"

"A strip club," said Jonny, "I'm telling you, man, that's a fucking gold mine. Everybody goes there with the intention of blowing their money. And you know what's even more better? It's Saturday, man. I can't think of a better score than that."

"And you think you're going to have a successful score with that bullshit ass revolver?" asked Rome.

"Listen, you pessimistic bastard," said Jonny, "you should know better than to underestimate me, I make the impossible possible, jack. Now watch this be a successful score, and I'll do it with just this bullshit revolver. Are you in or not?"

"Like I have a choice," said Rome, "it's all or nothing, bro."

Rome and Jonny fist bumped.

"Before we rob everyone out of their clothes," said Jonny, "we've got to check out the titties, man."


	3. Chapter 3

**I apologize for taking nearly a month to update. I've been going through severe depression and haven't been productive as I'd like to be. Enjoy guys.**

 **3**

The Weeknd's Earned It blasted loudly over the PA system, with the LED and strobe lights flashing frantically. Will lit a cigarette as his bloodshot eyes locked onto the beautiful young woman in front of him, her hips swaying methodically to the beat, her large brazenly exposed breasts jiggling like a bunch of dribbling basketballs. She smiled as Will put a twenty dollar bill in the front of her G-String.

 _Goddamn!_ Thought Will, as the stripper, Godiva, bent over in front of a chair, her firm round buttocks slow wining. He wanted to smack it so badly, but there was a no touch rule in effect. What a pity, he wanted to run his large hands all up and down that smooth umber skin.

After the song ended, Will slipped Godiva another twenty dollar and went to the bar, where he ordered shots of Jack Daniels. As he sank shot after shot, he thought of that gold and diamonds. Was it possible the police recovered it? If so, he was screwed and would have to think of another way to get some serious cash. If that was one thing he knew how to do, it was to make money. But until then, he was going to find solace in the imminent inebriation overcoming him as he went back over to the stage.

The Buick parked in the parking lot of an all black building with the sign reading 35 Gentleman's Club named so because it was located on Route 35 in Sayreville. The number 35 was written in slanted red Roman numerals. Jonny turned off his car, a manic grin on his face.

"Jonny, you really should re-consider this, man," said Rome. "The place is crawling with bouncers, and the minute you step in there, they're going to pat you down for weapons. For once in your life, think this through.

Jonny turned lazily to Rome, still grinning.

"Hey, He Who Lacks Faith," he said. "Do you have a better plan?"

Rome said nothing, but scowled. There was no reasoning with a guy like Jonny.

"Thought so," said Jonny. "Now stop whining and let's go get that dinero."

The two got out the Buick, Jonny going into his trunk. He got out a crowbar and flathead screwdriver before heading with Rome around the back to the sidedoor. He used the screwdriver first to jimmy the lock. It cracked open with ease. Exotic dancers, who were getting ready to go on stage screamed at the sight of the two men.

"Shut up!" hissed Jonny, pulling out the revolver and aiming it at the women, "all of you head over there and don't move! Now, not tomorrow!

As the girls ran past Jonny, he added, "Damn, you chicks are dimes. No bullet wounds or C-section scars or nothing."

The door burst open. Two burly bouncers, having heard the commotion in the room, saw Jonny and Rome and went for them immediately. With only a milisecond to act, Jonny took the crowbar and put all his force the blow, striking the bald bouncer in the face repeatedly. Rome wrestled for a few minutes with the black bouncer before incapacitating him with lethal elbows and fists. Thinking quickly, Jonny grabbed a pair of handcuffs and cuffed the two bouncers before turning to the women.

"Who's the guy in charge of this place?" he asked.

"Manolo Vasquez," said a curvy dancer with teal streaked hair. "He calls himself Sweet Papi though."

"Sweet Papi?" repeated Jonny, "That name just reeks of douchebag. Where's his office?"

"Just walk straight up the corridor and make a right," said a thick blonde dancer.

"Let's go get that money, brotha," said Jonny to Rome, leaving the room.

There was a bouncer standing in front of the door of Sweet Papi's office. He was smaller than Jonny and Rome in height, but along with his powerful frame and stance, this guy was tough. This, however, did not deter Jonny. He walked calmly up to the bouncer with Rome holding up the rear.

"Excuse me, my man," said Jonny quietly. "Is Sweet Papi available to talk?"

The bouncer observed Jonny with sneering insolence before he spoke.

"He's handling some business," he said in a deep, curt voice. "Take a walk, white boy. You and pretty boy over there."

Jonny grinned impishly

"I don't think you understand," said Jonny, "You see, we-"

In mid sentence, Jonny headbutted the bouncer in the face. The bouncer roared in pain, holding his nose, but still grabbed Jonny by the throat, causing him to drop the crowbar in surprise. Rome blindsided the bouncer by football tackling him to the floor. The two men tussled on the floor, exchanging fists. Finally, Jonny regained possession of the crowbar and smacked the bouncer in the head, knocking him unconscious. Wiping blood from his lip, Rome scrambled to his feet.

"Stand back," said Rome, "Forget knocking, we kicking this shit down."

At once, Rome kicked down the door and went in. A startled cry issued from the contents of the room. Jonny pulled out his revolver as Rome grabbed a chunky Latino guy dressed in a pleathered red snakeskin suit.

"Who do you two think you are, barging in my goddamn office like this, huh?" snarled Sweet Papi, "Do you know who the fuck I am _cabrón_?"

"Miss us with that Big Willy act, brah," said Rome, slamming Sweet Papi against the adjacent wall. "We came here for one thing."

"That's right you fancy Fruit Roll Up," said Jonny, pressing the revolver against Sweet Papi's pudgy face. "And the longer you live all depends on your cooperation."

"Yeah," said Rome, leaning so close to Sweet Papi, he can smell his rancid breath. "We know you got some cash stashed somewhere. Tell us where it is or my homeboy here will paint the walls with your brains."

" _Chinga tu madre, mamabicho,"_ spat Sweet Papi, sweat forming on his forehead "I'm not telling you dick,"

"Fine," said Rome, "Blast him, Jonny,"

As Jonny pulled back on the hammer and stuck the gun to his head, Sweet Papi caved in and said, "Alright! _Alright_! The cash is in a safe behind the _La Carta_ painting on the wall over there."

Jonny walked over to the wall where the painting hung. There, he lifted it up, revealing a safe embedded within the wall with a digital pin, instead of the combination.

"What's the PIN code?" he asked.

"Four, eight, eight, zero," croaked Sweet Papi as Rome's hands tightened around his throat.

Jonny dialed the code in. The safe opened instantly. Inside were stacks of money and a few expensive pieces of jewelry. Jonny took everything, including the jewelry.

"Is that the only money you have?" asked Jonny.

"Yeah, that's all of it right there," said Sweet Papi

"Don't bullshit us," warned Rome.

"Fuck, I told you that's all of it right there," said Sweet Papi.

Rome searched through Sweet Papi's pockets. There was nothing in them.

"Lucky," he muttered. He floored Sweet Papi with a stiff jab to the jaw, knocking him unconscious. Jonny helped Rome drag Sweet Papi out of sight, tying him to the bouncer with ropes and handcuffs.

"Thanks for donating to our cause," said Jonny, as he and Rome turned a corner around the corridor.

"That was easier than I thought it would be," said Rome.

"Yeah, well, now we enter a suicide mission." said Jonny. "We're going to rob the bar now."

Rome let out an annoyed sigh.

"Do you have to do everything to the extreme?" he asked. "Let's just bail, we have like 50 Gs here."

"A little more won't hurt, will it?" said Jonny. "You know how much bartenders make on a night like this, including tips? And those assholes out there throwing out that money? We took out 3 bouncers, there should be only a few left, and they're probably at the door. Just let me handle everything and you have my back, man."

"Do I have a choice?" asked Rome.

"Nope." said Jonny, "now quit your bitchin' and let's go."

 _Damn, she's fine_ thought Will, looking at a svelte Latina woman, giving some old crusty gator suit wearing guy a lap dance. He was feeling buzzed at the moment, and it was getting late. But he had nowhere to go. His wife, Jenny, had divorced him shortly after the sentencing 15 years ago. He didn't blame her, with him always getting locked up all the time, but still, it was a little disconcerting that he wouldn't have a bed to sleep in. He quickly put the tought in the back of his mind. He was here to have a good time, not to mope.

He turned around in his stool and downed a few more shots of whiskey. Two men in their late 20s or early 30s approached the bar. Will observed them. He didn't know why, but he could always sniff out a crook when he saw one. Maybe it had something to do with him being a crook. The taller of the two was skimming the crowd, probably looking for a bouncer. The smaller one was waiting for the bartender to cater to him.

"What will you have?" asked the bartender finally.

"I'll have a Bahama Mama," said the small one, "And Cash Out the Register."

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that last bit?" said the bartender

"Perhaps this will make your hearing better," said the small one, pulling out the revolver, and aiming it at the bartender, who's eyes widened in fright, "take the mother fuckin' money out the cash register before you get a bullet, asshole!"

Everyone at the bar, except Will ran, shouting, "Oh my God, he's got a gun, he's got a gun!"

Pretty soon, screams rang through the strip joint. Everyone, including the strippers, were making a bee line for the door. Two bouncers were inching toward the bar, but were met by the large group, who ran toward them full bore and clotheslined both of them, sending them to the floor. Will watched in amusement as one of the bouncers fell through a glass table. Meanwhile, the smaller crook had jumped over the bar and was screaming at the bartender to hurry up. The bartender was opening the cash register with shaky hands.

Finally, the bartender had it open and gave the small crook the money. He then handed over all of the tips he had made that night as well. The smaller crook jumped back over the counter and proceeded to leave with the large crook when he noticed that Will was still at the bar.

"Hey, Pops, how come you ain't run out?" he asked. "Your hip went out?"

Will laughed derisively.

"You think knocks on my age bother me, boy?" he said. "I just did 15 years in the pen, and I've dropped punks younger and much tougher than you two pussies. I'd have your scrawny ass washing my drawers the first week. And you-" he added to the larger crook, sizing him up. "-With that long pretty hair, I'd turn you out in less than a week and then sell you for a carton of cigarettes, bitch."

"You know what, Jonny?" said the larger crook, boring into Will's eyes menancingly, "I think we ought to bust his ass right now."

"Yeah, Rome," said, Jonny, setting down the revolver, "I don't need a gun for this."

Will, acted instinctively, reaching over the counter and grabbing a large bottle of gin. He bought it down on the crook named Jonny's head, busting him open. Rome attempted to throw a punch, but Will blocked it and belted him with a wild right hook. He kneed him hard in the gut, causing Rome to double over in pain. That's when he gave him a stiff knee to the face, busting up his lip.

Jonny had gotten back to his feet and was reaching for the revolver. Will slammed his bloody head against the counter and twisted his arm upward. Rome started toward Will, but Will shouted, "Unless you want me to break his arm, you'd better back off!"

Rome froze in his tracks, a look of the deepest loathing etched in his normally stoic features.

"Now," he said, turning back to Jonny, who was letting out gasps and a string of slurred curses, "you could have just took the money and went on your way, but you had to go fucking with me. I'm telling you, you don't want me as an enemy. I could be a great asset to you both. Normally, you both would be as dead as fried chicken, but I ain't going to do that. I wanna offer my services to your dumbasses. I'll have you sitting on piles of cash if you roll with me."

"Why should we believe you?" asked Rome. His lip was swelling rapidly

"Because robbery is my expertise amongst other things," said Will, "Before I got locked up, I pulled off some nice scores and brought in six figures. Let me help you guys."

"Let him go then," said Rome.

Will, released Jonny immediately. Jonny backed away from Will, holding his arm. Blood dripped from his head and onto his hooded sweatshirt. It seemed he was barely conscious.

"Listen, we have to get out of here," said Will, grabbing a bottle of liquor. "I can close his wound and get him cleaned up. I was only defending myself, you know?"

Rome merely scowled.

"Help me with him to the car then," he said finally.

Will grabbed the revolver before lifting Jonny by his arm pit, taking him to the Buick.

"We got a hideout where we can take him." said Rome to Will. "You try to staunch the bleeding, and I'll take the wheel."

Will nodded as he and Rome put Jonny in the back seat. Then Will climbed in the back seat.

 _Should we trust this guy?_ thought Rome as he turned over the Buick's engine. _We don't even know him, why's he offering his service? But then again, if he says he can get a whole of some real cash, then I have no choice but to trust him._

He pulled off in the Buick quickly. In the distance, he could hear the sound of police sirens.


	4. Chapter 4

**I apologize for this being short, but it'll be worth it, trust me. Enjoy.**

Rome pulled up to an abandoned warehouse. Will had managed to stop blood gushing from Jonny's head, but Jonny was still slightly out of it. Along with Rome, Will half carried, half dragged Jonny out of the car.

"C'mon," growled Will as they heaved Jonny up the stairs, "you're milking this."

It was cold inside the warehouse, due to most of the windows being broken. The room they were in consisted of two mattresses, a large battered sofa, and a refrigerator. There was graffiti on the peeling walls. Apart from the street lights outside, the room was dark.

Will and Rome laid Jonny on one of the mattresses. Will took off his leather jacket and kneeled down beside him, examining the wound.

"Listen to me carefully," said Will to Rome, "I need some ice, hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alchol, painkillers, a needle and thread and some bandages. Do you have those items?"

Rome nodded curtly.

"Well, what're you standing there for?" said Will, "get going."

Rome scowled at Will, as if he wished for nothing better than to clobber him. Will caught this and said, "Look, big fella, on a normal circumstance, I'd welcome a good fight, but your friend is in need of attention. Put your bruised manhood aside and help me."

Rome went to get the items, muttering darkly to himself. Jonny clutched his head, groaning in pain.

"Easy there, kid," said Will, "I'll have you patched up in no time."

Rome returned with the items. Will muttered his thanks and said to Jonny, "Brace yourself, boy."

Will immediately went to work on the wound. Rome looked on, stone faced, trying to mask his concern for Jonny.

"Alright, I'm done," said Will, "10 stitches. You should take two of those Percs so you won't feel the pain."

"Thanks for fixing him up," said Rome, "I guess."

"It's not a problem," said Will, "Sorry we got off the wrong foot, but as I said before, I was only defending myself. The name's Will by the way."

Will extended his hand. Rome shook it.

"I'm Rome," he said, "and this is Jonny."

"How long ya'll been in the game?" asked Will.

"A little over five years," groaned Jonny , sitting up.

"Five years?" said Will, "and ya'll still doing petty robberies? Haven't ya'll gone for any big scores?"

"You know there ain't nothing in this dime store state worth robbing." said Rome.

"That's the problem with you kids today," said Mark contemptously, "You're so self-limiting and short sighted."

"Oh boy," said Jonny. "Are we going to hear, 'back in my day, we robbed stage coaches and saloons on horses through blizzards?"

"Another wisecrack from you and I'll rip those stitches right out your fucking head," warned Will, "Look, there's plenty of places to be hit up in Jersey, you just have to know where to look. It takes planning, but it's worth it. All you need is competent crew and driver. You've got the best of both worlds in me."

"Alright, Mr. Best of Both Words," said Rome. "What do you have in mind?"

"We get some disguises," said Will, "Security guard to be more specific. I know this guy in Newark, owns a uniform store. For a fee, he'll give us anything we may need. Once we get that, we steal a security van and we drive into the suburbs where rich folks live. And you know how stupid rich people are, arrogant enough to leave their stuff around, thinking they won't get jacked."

"That's because they have guard dogs and security cameras," said Rome.

"There's ways around that," said Will. "We'll require additional items. But I promise you, by the end of this week, we will be paid in full, gentlemen."

"You guarantee it?" said Jonny?"

"Guaran dam tee it," said Will. "But until them, I'm going to need a place to sleep until I get a hold of some money. Mind if I crash here?"

"Not at all," said Rome. "You can have the couch,"

Will sat himself on the couch, multiple thoughts swimming in his head. He was taking a chance with these two. He always operated alone when he went along with his heists. Partners were a liability, either drawing suspicion to themselves, or not keeping their mouths shut. But he saw the potential in these two. Once he showed them the ropes, they would be a force.


	5. Chapter 5

Around 9:30 p.m., a middle aged couple departed their neo-eclectic style mansion, wearing the most expensive outfits money could buy. The day before, they had received in the mail, two tickets to a symphony in Princeton. Thinking it was from a friend, they accepted without hesitation.

The couple climbed into a ice white Mercedes Benz. The Benz drove past a security van that was park across the street from their house. When the Benz was out of sight, the driver of the security van snorted loudly.

"Rich people are so stupid," muttered Will contemptuously, "too arrogant to believe they'd never get jacked."

"Well thank Christ rich folks are stupid," said Jonny, "then we wouldn't have anything to take from them."

The three men had decided to case Saddle River, a moneyed suburban town in New Jersey's Bergen County. It was a small town, but what it lacked in population, it made up for in income. To Will, it was like being a fat kid at an all you can eat buffet.

"Alright, let's go over this," said Will, "they have two Bull Mastiffs. Rome, I want you to take those two big steaks in the bag and toss them over the gate. I've injected them with enough Rezira to drop them within seconds. After that's done, Jonny, since you're the thinnest of us three, I want you to get in through the doggy door and disable the alarms. Then we'll go into their bedrooms. That's where all the goodies are. Let's get goin, but be discreet."

The three gentlemen got out the car pretending they were doing their nightly rounds. They looked like security guards, so no one would question what they were doing in the backyard.

Rome approached the gate where the dogs would be, while Will and Jonny went around the side. Will pulled out his walkie talkie and said, "Alright, Rome, we're in position. We're waiting on your signal."

Rome removed the steaks from the bag. Then, he whistled for the dogs. Moments, later, two large Bull Mastiffs came hurtling toward the gate, barking and snarling loudly. Reacting quickly, Rome threw the steaks over the gate and watched the two dogs tear at them voraciously. In a few moments, the dogs keeled over, heavily sedated. Rome got out his walkie talkie.

"Ok, you're clear to climb the gate," he muttered.

Will and Jonny climbed gate, and prowled, cat like amongst the lawn, Rome joining them a split second later. They trekked around the back and came to a stop at the door, where the doggy door was.

"Alright, Jonny," said Will, "do your stuff,"

Jonny got down on all fours and slithered on in. Will waited with baited breath, his sense of hearing becoming magnified as seconds transitioned to minutes. He could almost hear the beads of sweat rolling down Rome's forhead before he saw it.

After what seemed like an eternity, Jonny opened the door. Will and Rome entered, their flashlights at the ready.

Like Will had expected, the house was the epitome of hedonistic luxury. The living room was large and spacious, with marble polished walls on which artwork created by French Impressionists hung. On top of the stone fireplace mantle lay statues of fertility gods. Will knew that that meant.

"Poor bastard," he muttered. "Can't get his soldier to stand at attention. Just thinking about the prices on these statues gives me a woody. So many zeroes.

He pulled out a plastic bag and carefully placed the statues in it.

"Their most prized possessions will be in their bedrooms." said Will. "From there, we'll have to find the safe. Safe hiding places are either placed behind a painting or under the floor board. Being that the latter is usually more our thing, we're going with the portrait. From there I'll determine whether its padlocked, security PIN, or combination lock. Let's go. "

The three men walked past a rather large aquarium of exotic fish and up the iron spiral stairs. The master bedroom was located at the far end of the hallway. They slowly opened the door and looked around.

Will was less impressed with the bedroom than he was downstairs in the living room. The room seemed to fit its owners personality; bland. However, they did have a portrait hanging above their bed.

"Bingo" said Will, settling his flash light on the portrait, "Guarantee there's a safe behind that potrait."

He took off his shoes and climbed on top of the bed. He beckoned for Rome to follow suit and help him. Together, he and Rome took down the portrait, sure enough revealing large safe embedded in the wall. It had a combination lock.

"Damn," muttered Jonny, "What're we going to do?"

Without breaking a sweat, Will took out a medium sized tool box and pulled out a dial puller. He clamped the puller down on the dial and applied the M8 screws to grip it, before wounding in the M12 screws to pull the dial out. Then, he used the sliding hammer for pulling as well.

After a few minutes, Will undone the safe. He opened it and looked inside. Not only was there a considerable amount of money in the safe, but expensive jewelry with one ring alone being worth ten thousand dollars. They took the safe for everything and stuffed it in the bag.

"Let's get out of here," said Will.

The three men made their way back downstairs and crept out through the back door. They half walked, half jogged to the vehicle. When they got in, they sped off until they reached the getaway car over the next town.

"How much did we take?" asked Rome after Will finished counting the money at their hideout.

Will paused before saying. "A hundred and fifty Gs."

Jonny let out a whoop of excitement. Rome tried to remain stoic, but his upper twitched, but it gone seconds later.

"Fifty thousand each," said Will. "Now I noticed as we were driving, there was a jewelry store. We could easily walk away with 600 Gs. But we'll have to case it first. We'll go first thing tomorrow morning. Now if we're going to pull this job off, we're going to need better guns. We can't have a bullshit revolver, we're not robbing trains or chariots. We need to get a hold of some high powered guns to make those idiots sit up and take notice. Before we case the joint, we're going to go gun shopping. Then we're going to pick up some nice expensive suits."

"Suits?" repeated Rome, "what for?"

"To look presentable when we case the jewelry store," said Will, "we go in there looking all scruffy, wanting to buy a ring, that'll raise a red flag. So suits."

"Man, the only time I wear suits is at funerals," said Jonny, "it'll be nice to wear a suit for something else besides that for once."

"We'll talk more later," said Will, "until then, I'm going to rent a hotel. I'll be back here bright and early tomorrow morning."

He got up and left, leaving Jonny and Rome alone.

"What do you think of him?" asked Rome.

"Well I was thinking of taking him out after he bust my head open and what not," said Jonny, "but he redeemed himself by getting us some serious money. So I guess he's alright."

"He's a little bossy," said Rome, "but I'm willing to live with that. Like you said, he did get us some serious dough."

He raised up from his chair.

"Listen man, I haven't been home in two days," he said, "Listen, I'm going to head home before it gets too late. I'll catch you later."

"Alright my man," said Jonny, fist bumping Rome, "Be safe out there."

As Rome disappeared, Jonny looked around the shabby abandoned warehouse. I represented him the best. Abandoned, disorder and what not. No way he was staying in there by himself. After 10 minutes of contemplation, he prowled the streets, looking for a willing woman and motel.


	6. Chapter 6

**I felt the needed to give a little background on Jonny before we got into the main plot. Apologies, I will get to the nitty gritty pretty soon.**

Thick marijuana smoke filled the room of the Swan Motel room. Will sat on the black leather sofa in the hazy, semi-dark with a bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand, and a picture of him and his ex-wife Jenny. The picture had been taken on the 4th of July in '98 at Seaside Heights, a spot they'd frequented every summer. That was when their marriage was at its strongest. He'd had a good job working on the loading docks and everything.

He'd remember when he first met her. It during the winter of '86, and he'd happened to be caught in one of the worse nor'easters in Newark's history. With gusty, cutting winds and whole park blanketed with at least a foot of snow, Will hoped that his Mercury Marauder made it through on his way home.

That's when he saw her running hysterically toward his car and he narrowly avoided hitting her. After successfully managing to calm her down, the woman finally told her than she had been car jacked and the thief took off with her purse in there. As there were no buses running and the woman lived in Passaic, Will offered to give her a ride. Since his place was nearby, he offered to let her spend the night at his place. Being that he was a stranger, a physically imposing stranger, at first, she refused. Will told her that he understood her hesitance, it was bitterly cold, Passaic was far away, and there weren't any nearby motels. The woman finally conceded and got inside Will's Marauder.

While back at his place, Will found a couple of fresh blankets for the woman and fixed her some turkey bisque and sandwiches with cups of hot chocolate. As they ate, the two talked. The woman told Will that her name was Jenice Brown, and that she was a medical student at Rutgers. She had been on her way home for the holidays when she had gotten carjacked at gunpoint. She started fretting about what was going to happen. Will held her in her arms and consoled her. Before he knew it, Jenny was kissing him, telling him to make her feel more good and minutes later, they were in Will's bedroom, clothes in a clutter on a floor, the bed post knocking against the wall. After that, they'd start seeing each other regularly and were married two years later.

Jenny was the only silver lining in Will's world of gray clouds. She was 5'2, with eyes the color of sunlit cola, smooth golden brown skin and high cheekbones. Will loved not only her deep dimpled smile, but the way she made him feel like he was somebody, her willingness to look past the deeply flawed, sociopath and see the man who had no one and just wanted someone to love him.

He recalled their last conversation, as she sat across the table from him, the divorce papers clutched in her hands. It felt as if a herd of elephant had trampled upon his chest when he saw them.

" _C'mon, Jenny, be reasonable, think this out_ ," pleaded Will.

" _I am and I did,"_ said Jenny, tears, blended with mascara running down her face. " _Will, I love you with all my heart, but I can't deal with all of this anymore. I stuck by your side, through every bid. I stuck by your side even though my family hated you and thought you were no good. But I'm tired, Will. I'm sick of this never ending cycle of you getting locked up, you getting out and promising to straighten up, you straightening up for a little while then getting locked up again. You're a 36 year-old man who still acts like that 21 year-old I met, living in the thrill of the moment, not realizing he's slowly drowning in his own sea of chaos and destruction. You are madness personified Will, and you're dragging me down further with your madness. I need stability."_

 _"I can't help who I am, Jenny,"_ Will fired back. He wasn't going to give up without a fight, " _You knew what I was when you decided to marry me. Whatever happened to for better or for worse, huh? You're going to leave me when I need you the most?"_

" _Don't try to guilt me, Will, it won't work this time,"_ said Jenny. " _You told me when we first took our vows that you would change your ways. But you're never going to change. I can't believe it took 13 years for me to see that. I have my career and future to think about, and if that means a future without you, then so be it."_

Cold dread seeped deep into Will's pores.

" _Shit Jenny,"_ he said, sounding sober and older than he was, " _Don't do this to me, darlin', you're all I have."_

 _"Don't make this harder than it already is Will,"_ said Jenny, fresh tears falling down her face, " _if you really love me, if you really cared, you'll just sign the papers and let me get on with my life."_

The green eyes that she'd feel in love with hardened, though there was bits of grief in them. The muscles in his jar twitched.

" _Is that what you really want?"_ he asked.

" _Yes,"_ said Jenny with sad finality in her tone.

" _Fine,"_ said Will. There was no emotion left in his voice. He picked up the pen and signed the divorce papers.

" _There,"_ he said in that same passionless tone, " _You got your wish, sweetheart."_

Jenny gathered up the papers and said to Will. _"I'm sorry. I love you so much and I always will, but you need to love yourself too. How can you love others if you can't do that? Take care of yourself, Will."_

Will watched her leave, with that familiar feeling of hopelessness and helplessness. She walked out of the door, out of the prison, and out of his life forever.

 _You fucking moron,_ thought Will as he continued to look at the picture. _You had a good woman and you fucked that up. Just like you fuck up everything else you come across. You've been a piece of shit your whole life and that's how it'll stay._

"Get it together, old man." said Will, his voice croaky, "She ain't your woman and hasn't been for a long time."

He drank and smoke until he felt nothing.

The next morning, Will drove to the abandoned factory where he found Jonny, fast asleep on the couch, he slammed the carton of orange juice on the wooden table, causing Jonny to snap wide awake and pull out his revolver and pointing it wildly.

"Oh," said Jonny, lowering the gun when he saw that it was just Will, "it's you."

"Good morning to you too, sunshine," said Will, "If you're hungry, I brought a sack of breakfast sandwiches and some orange juice."

As Jonny opened the bag and took a couple of breakfast sandwiches, Will asked Jonny, "So, do you live in this shitty place or what?"

"Not really," said Jonny, "I'm actually one of those trust fund babies who live in a 9 in a half bedroom mansion with 6 bathrooms. My dad sent me here so I'd learn to appreciate the less fortunate. Of course I live here."

Will laughed as he picked up a breakfast sandwich himself. He was starting to like his kid. He reminded him a bit of himself in some ways.

"You don't have any family here?" asked Will as he poured himself some orange juice.

"Nah, I'm not originally from Jersey," said Jonny, wiping a bit of egg from his whiskered chin, "I came from the East End of Cincinnati, where dreams never come true."

"How'd you end up in New Jersey?" asked Will.

"Well, about 7 years ago, my mother threw me out the house and told me to never dampen her doorstep again," said Jonny, "For the next two years, I wandered on aimlessly, alternating between Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, you know, gettin' blazed, checking out the scenery. One day, a bunch of guys I bummed out with stole a G20 and decided to go to Jersey for this festival called The Wave Gathering. Lots of good music ranging from indie to blues and what not. We hooked up with this other group who happened to have some shrooms to go along with the weed and booze we had. The next thing I know, I wake up in the Pinelands, my friends and the G20 gone. Never knew what became of them, and I decided to settle down here since. At least until I become bored again."

"That sucks, man." said Will, "did your mother even bother to see what became of you?"

"Man, she don't care about me," said Jonny indifferently, "she used to always tell me that I was the big mistake that she couldn't correct. She told me the biggest regret she ever had was going to a Metallica concert and coming back home pregnant with me."

"So I take it you never knew your old man," said Will, biting into his breakfast sandwich.

"Nope," said Jonny, "Apparently, my mom doesn't either. Like I said, she was at a Metallica concert, the Ride the Lightning Tour to be exact somewhere in Phoenix."

Jonny paused to eat some of the sandwich. Will didn't say anything, but his heart dropped as if he'd been driving down a steep hill.

"Go on," he said to Jonny.

"She didn't really care for Metallica actually," said Jonny, "she just wanted to see WASP perform. Anyway, she got all loaded on whiskey and had a one night stand with some jackoff there. When she woke up, he was gone and never heard from or saw him again."

Jonny resumed eating his sandwich. Will observed him curiously. Could it be possible?

 _Nah_ thought Will instantly, but that sudden nagging feeling he felt wouldn't go away. Before he met Jenna, he was a self-professed womanizer, getting into bed with anything with a vagina and two legs. And it just so happened that he had attended that exact same concert in Phoenix.


	7. Chapter 7

Rome arrived to the hideout shortly after. After they all ate breakfast, Will opened a large bag that he'd brought with him and handed each of them a grooming kit.

"Before we buy the suits, we have to smarten ourselves up a bit," said Will, "I've got soap and shampoo if needed, help yourself."

All three men gathered up any hygienic necessity they needed and went to work. They rinsed every bit of dirt, grime and common man smells off their bodies, trimmed their fingernails and shaved their stubborn stubbles. Then, they slapped gobs of hair gel on their heads and slicked it back, Rome pulling his into a neat ponytail. The three of them looked in the mirror and were astounded to see the clean shaven, well groomed men that looked back at them.

"Well shit," said Will admiring himself in the mirror. "Almost didn't recognize myself. I haven't been without facial hair since '83."

The three men left the warehouse and searched for a decent looking car to boost. If they were going to look the part, then they couldn't be driving around in Jonny's battered Buick. They were in a working class part of town, so it would be highly unlikely that they would find a car of high quality.

After walking ten blocks, the men finally found a black 2010 Audi A6 near a convenient store. Rome took a slim jim from inside his coat and broke into the Audi. Will and Jonny got inside shortly thereafter.

"There's this place downtown Elizabeth," said Will, "they sell decent and reasonably priced suits. Only a few miles away from here."

"Hate to break it to you, big dog," said Rome, "but that place burned down a few months ago, nothing there anymore."

"Really?" said Will, "well shit, where else is there?"

"We can head to Jersey Gardens Mall," said Jonny, "they sell cheap suits."

"Alright," said Will, "Jersey Gardens it is."

It was the morning, time so not many people were at the mall, which suited the three gentlemen just fine. They walked into The Mills, where a portly, tossle haired man with glasses attended to them.

"How can I help you three gentlemen this morning?" he asked in a legit cheery voice.

"Yes," said Jonny, "we'd like something that says I'm a corporate douche that has a six figure salary, but still rides the train, and drinks lattes all day

Rome and Will laughed.

"My son, the joker," said Will at the man's bemused expression, "three of your finest suits."

After the man took everyone's measurements, Will, Jonny, and Rome walked out of the Mills, looking like conservative businessmen and not scruffy degenerates.

"Next stop; Fliehr's Jewelry Store," said Will.

Fliehr's Jewelry Store was a luxury jewelry store owned by jeweler, R.M. Fliehr, one of New Jersey's richest businessmen. Will had read about him in a magazine while locked up, and he seemed like he was a real asshole, so he wouldn't feel bad about jacking his store. Then again, he never felt bad about jacking anyone, regardless of whether they were assholes or not.

"Nice and easy, guys," said Will, as they park the Audi across the street from Fliehr's.

The three men walked casually toward Fliehr's, Will whistling tunelessly as they entered the store.

No doubt the Fliehr's was a fancy store with its white marble floors and onyx walls. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling reflecting off the display cases of the numerous jewels, glittering like ice.

Will scanned the place with his quick eyes. A security guard was a few feet away from the door. As he walked up the aisle, he noted that the display cases were easily breakable.

"May I help you sir?" asked the cashier, a young woman with her cherry pop colored hair cut into an undercut and square rimmed eyeglasses.

"Yes, you can, dear," said Will, adopting a courteous, professional manner, "you see my boy here-" he clapped Jonny on the shoulder- "his birthday is today and I'd like to get him the best watch money can buy."

"Yes, right this way, sir," said the cashier, leading Will, Jonny, and Rome to center of the store, where a pair of lovely Rolex watches stood.

"These here are the Oyster Perpetual collection," said the cashier, "This one is the Day Date. Handcrafted Platinum, and it also tells you the date and day of the week along with the time. "

"Impressive!" said Will genuinely. "Ring me up for two. Any best friend of my boy is a boy of mine as well!"

After Will paid for the watches, the three men went back to the Audi and discussed the score they would take while driving."

"Okay, so they've got one security guard on the perimiter," said Will, "And he's armed, so we'll have to take him down quickly if we're going to pull this off."

"Also," said Rome, "while I was in there, the most expensive jewelry is in the back of the store."

"Good observation," said Will, "I had to buy the watches so her suspicions wouldn't be raised. I'll get it back when we pull this score."

"How much we're talking about if we pull this score?" asked Jonny.

"We could possibly walk out with 6 million dollars when it's all over," said Will, "I got a guy who can move them for us once we finish the score."

Jonny whistled.

"I'll finally be able to get out of that rat sack of a factory," he said.

"So we're going to need masks, and guns and a getaway car aren't we?" asked Rome.

"Yep," said Will as he stopped at a red light, "I'll handle the guns, Jonny you shop for the masks, and Rome, find us some coveralls and a getaway car. Indescreet, but fast."

Rome nodded.

"Alright, now that we've gotten that out of the way," said Jonny, "I'm fucking starvin' _dad_ , why don't you buy us some lunch?"

That odd feeling settled itself in Will's chest. He agreed to buy the food, but didn't say anything else.


	8. Chapter 8

"Again, Daddy, again!" shouted Rome's daughter, Joelle, shrieking with joy as her father pushed her on the swing higher and higher.

Rome obliged, watching her face become alive with happiness as she went to the sky. She was the only thing worth living for.

It was a day before they would pull the heist off at the jewelry store. He, Jonny, and Will had gone their separate ways for a few days. Roman took the opportunity to spend more time with his daughter, taking her to the park to look at the birds and play on the swing.

"Daddy, I'm hungry," said Joelle, "can we get something to eat?"

"Of course, Princess," said Rome, "what do you want to eat?"

"Can we go to McDonald's?" said Joelle.

"Sure," said Rome. "You got it, McDonald's it is."

Rome drove up Highway 9 where the McDonald's was located, between a moderate strip plaza and a Speedway Gas Station. The McDonald's had a Play Place that Joelle could enjoy while she was there.

"What do you want sweetheart?" Rome asked.

"I want chicken McNuggets," said Joelle.

Rome ordered nuggets, fries, and vanilla shake for Joelle, while ordering two McDoubles and a strawberry shake for himself.

"So how was school today?" Rome asked Joelle while they ate.

"It was good, Daddy," said Joelle, grinning, showing one of her missing teeth at the top. "We learned how to draw shapes and I learned how to write my name today."

"That's great honey," said Rome, beaming.

"Yeah," said Joelle, nodding her head vigorously, "tomorrow, we're going on a trip."

"Yeah?" said Rome, "where are you going?"

"The Turtleback Zoo!" Joelle exclaimed, "I can't wait to see all the fishies."

"I know much you love the fishies," said Rome, "well you have fun. And in the meantime-"

He pulled twenty dollars out of his pocket and gave it to her. -"buy you some souvenirs and show it off at home."

"Oh, thank you Daddy!" said Joelle, hugging Rome tightly. She had tight grip. "You're the bestest daddy in the world!"

After the two finished eating, Joelle played in the Play Place for a bit. While Rome watched her play, a smile on his face. It seemed like yesterday his wife brought Joelle home, three days old. Her grandfather had nicknamed her "pudding ball" because of her cheeks resembling two large pudding balls. Of all the titles he held (good and bad) being 'Father' was the best title of all.

Rome drove Joelle back home where he watched _Doc McStuffins_ for an hour. Afterwards, he taught her how to add and subtract using pieces of candy and then teaching her how to sound out letters. When it got time for bed, he got her to brush her teeth and change into her bed clothes, reading her favorite bedtime story _The Rainbow Fish._ When she fell asleep, he chuckled to himself and kissed her rosy cheek, closing the door quietly behind her as he went back to the living room and waited for Gail, his wife.

In less than 24 hours, he would help pull off the biggest score of his life so far. If the payout was like Will said it would be, he'd be walking away with 3 million dollars. 3 million dollars for a few minutes work. That's more than he'd make in years working as a security guard.

It was crazy, how he'd known Will less than a month and made more money with him than he'd made with Jonny in 5 years. Even though he loved Jonny like a brother, Jonny only thought in short-term. He didn't rob for gain like Rome did. Yes, the money was a bonus, but Jonny robbed for the sake of robbing. Rome wanted more than that. He wanted to provide a better living for him, Joelle and Gail. And with the three million dollars, he would be finally able to. He wasn't going to spend it right away, he was going use some of it to open up a Hawaiian style restaurant. He'd always wanted his own business. To be his own boss. Wasn't that the true American dream?

Gail came home a little after 11. She was exhausted and her feet hurt. Rome gave her a foot massage and then hopped in the shower with her. She sighed at the sight of the steam rising from his wet, herculean body. He grabbed her closer to him and ran his large hands up her smooth, honey brown skin, letting the hot water pour down on the both of them. He kissed her, not only in a passionate way, but in a reassuring way. Letting her know that it was all going to be alright. Their financial worries would soon be over...

Will parked around the corner from Fliehr's Jewelry stopped. He popped the trunk and got out the car, retrieving the ski masks, a Walther P99, and two mini Uzis from it.

"Keep the engine running," he said to Rome, "this won't take long."

He turned to Jonny and said, "let's do this."

He and Jonny made sure there was no one passing by before they put on their ski masks. They half walked, half ran to Fliehr's. Once they were close enough, they stormed in. The security guard immediately sprang into action, reaching for his pistol, but before it was clear of its holster, Will shot him once in the chest. People screamed, making a beeline for the door, but Jonny pointed his Uzi at all of them, stopping them in their tracks.

"On the floor!" he shouted, "Get down on the fucking floor or I'll turn you into Swiss cheese!"

As people got on the ground, Will shot the surveillance camera and pointed the Walther at the Attendant.

"To the back!" he barked, making her jump. "You have 10 seconds!"

She hastily ran to the back of the store as Will put his finger on the trigger. Will saw that Jonny still had the crowd under control. Wasting no more time, Will smashed the display cases, snatching up necklaces, bracelets, watches, earrings, and rings, the most expensive ones first, stuffing them all into a military bag.

After snatching up the last of the jewelry, Will shouted to Jonny to come on. Jonny went, still pointing his Uzi at the customers until they both were clear of the store.

"OUT OF THE WAY!" he shouted at a passerby, nearly knocking him over as they both turned the corner where Rome was still parked. Will tossed the bag of jewelry in the back of the car before jumping in the back himself. Jonny got in the passenger's seat.

"GO! _GO!"_ shouted Will, Rome pushed the pedal to the floor and made a sharp U-turn, speeding off as fast as he could.

A couple of miles later, Will, Jonny, and Rome ditched the car in an alleyway. They changed into their civilian clothing and left the coveralls and ski masks in the trunk. Then, they hotwired another car and drove to a pawnshop where Will delivered the jewels to his friend Eddie.

"It'll take a couple of days for him to move the jewels," he said to Jonny and Rome. "I'll call you guys when he has the money."

"How do we know you won't keep the money for yourself?" asked Jonny.

Will gave him a withering stare.

"I've done just about everything," said Will, "I've robbed, I've maimed, I've killed. But there's one thing I'll never do is fuck someone over. If I said we're all going to have a little cash, then I mean it. You have my word."

"What do we do now?" asked Rome.

"Work on our alibis and then split up." said Will. "Lay low until we have the money."

After they came up with a satisfactory alibi, the three men split up. Will went back to his motel room, his mind on the gold and jewels. He hoped they were still in that wall. He hadn't heard any news of it being retrieved, so it must still be. But, and there was always that but...what if they tore down the building and the person who destroyed it had and it kept it for themself? He had to go to Maplewood soon.

But not before he got the money from the score earlier that day.


	9. Chapter 9

Jonny drove up East Edgar Road, in search of some food. It had been years since he'd had a nice, hot homecooked meal. At least Rome had a loving family to go to, and a warm bed. Jonny had no one's company, except the occassional rats scampering in the factory. He pretended often, that this didn't bother him. In reality, he envied Rome. He wish he had someone to curl up to in a warm, clean bed every night. Someone who loved him.

Johnny pulled up into the parking lot of a White Castle. He stepped out of his Buick, clutching his leather jacket close to him. It was a frigid 23 degree night, and it didn't help that the wind was blowing. He supposed he could buy a new coat that sufficient for the winter.

He stepped into the White Castle and inhaled deeply. The smell of those tasty burgers were like Heaven.

He ordered a Big Crave with chicken rings and a large Sprite. While he waited for his order, he whistled tunelessly and looked around. There was barely anyone in there. Only a trucker and a worker mopping the floor.

After he got his food, he sat down and ate. The sliders eased the longing emptiness in his stomach as he wolfed them down.

Another person entered the White Castle. Jonny originally ignored him until he heard him speak.

"I'd like a Crave Sack with a large Sprite."

It was Will. Jonny peeped him, but continued to keep eating. Will had his back to him, drumming his fingers on the counter as he waited for his food.

Will finally noticed Jonny and walked over to him, sitting across from him.

"You following me or something?" asked Jonny.

"Yeah, stalking people has always been a favorite pasttime of mine," said Will sarcastically, as he took a bite of his slider, "got the munchies and decided to drop in."

Now that Will said it, Jonny noticed that his eyes were rather red. He also detected a strong whiff of marijuana emanating from him.

"Mind sharing some of that mean green?" asked Jonny.

"Sure thing," said Will, "you're still sleeping in that rat pit?"

"Yep," said Jonny.

"Not anymore, you're not," said Will. "I'm renting a motel room just up the road from here. It's modest, but it has two beds, proper plumbing, and heat."

"Sharing a room with you?" said Jonny, raising an eyebrow, "no offense, dude, but you just got out of prison. How do I know you won't try anything funny?"

Will laughed.

"Don't flatter yourself,"

"A couple of weeks ago, you said you'd have turned my homeboy Rome out," said Jonny, "I have every reason to worry."

"I wasn't serious," said Will, "I was just putting it on a little extra."

"Why are you offering me a place to stay?" asked Jonny, "you barely know me. And a couple of weeks ago you busted my head open."

"That again?" said Will, "I told you I was just defending myself. I thought that was all bridge under the water."

"It is, man," said Jonny, "I'm just wondering why do you care that I'm sleeping in an abandoned factory."

"Are you kidding me?" said Will, "that's no fucking way to live, kid. In a run down death trap like that. No one deserves to live in conditions like that. You're coming to the motel and that's final. And once the money comes in, we're going clothes shopping."

"Yes, sir!" said Jonny sardonically, putting his hand up in a salute.

After they ate, Jonny drove Will to the Swan Motel. While Jonny drove, Will wondered whether he ought to have told Jonny that he might be his son. Will had his doubts at first, but the more he hung out with Jonny, the more he saw a likeness between the two of them. They walked similar, they dressed similar. Jonny even bore a resemblance to Will, even if Jonny didn't notice.

Will didn't know how he was going to go about telling Jonny, but he knew that it would have to be soon. He had to know.

"Well, make yourself at home, Jonny," said Will when they made it to the motel. Will sat on the sofa where he began to roll up a joint.

"Don't mind if I do," said Jonny, plopping on the bed , turning on the TV. Reruns of _Family Guy_ were on.

"What the hell is this show?" asked Will.

"Damn, Will," said Jonny, "how long were you locked up that you don't know this show?"

"Fifteen years," said Will.

"That's a long time, man," said Jonny.

"I know," said Will, "I was so fucking stupid back then. I had a damn good job. My wife was so happy I was working. And I fucked it up. Like I always did. It's like I'm not happy unless I'm involved in some kind of craziness. Like part of me will always love sticking up people, stealing everything not nailed down, all that crazy shit. It's like a part of me will always be addicted to chaos. And I lost the only person I truly ever loved because of my tendency to destroy everything I came across."

Tears threatened to spill from Will's eyes. He wiped it impatiently and lit up the joint, taking a long pull from it. He coughed a few times before passing it to Jonny.

"So, I have to ask you," said Jonny after they both were sufficiently stoned. "You can't have possibly wanted to be a criminal your whole life. Was there anything you wanted to be? Did you have dreams and ambitions?"

Will looked at Jonny thoughtfully. No one had asked him that before. Not even Jenny.

"Well, I wanted to play basketball," said Will. "I was a center forward at my old high school. Averaged twenty-four points a game. Lead in triple doubles three years in a row. I was going to get a scholarship to Texas University."

"What happened then?" asked Jonny.

"Suffered a knee injury," said Will, "after that my dreams went down the drain. None of the scouts were too keen on recruiting me after that. It was a shame too. I was hoping to play for the Nets someday."

"Life never works that way," said Jonny.

"For sure," said Will, "so what about you? Did you have dreams and ambitions too?"

"Yeah, but I ain't telling you," said Jonny, "you'll only laugh."

"I won't," said Will, "promise."

"Well, I wanted to be a farmer," said Jonny, "growing up, my school librarian used to read Laura Ingalls Wilder to us all the time. Then we'd go on class trips and visit farms, and I loved seeing the farmers work, helping them feed the animals and what not. I thought to myself, this is what I want to do. Own a big farm with a wife, children, and animals, working hard together."

"Well, shit, kid," said Will, "that ain't nothing to laugh at, that's a pretty damn good ambition. How come you never pursued it?"

"Lack of funds, mainly," said Jonny, "I wanted to grow things in my backyard, but my mom would whack me around the head every time for messing up her lawn. She'd go in my room and throw away the seeds I attempted to hide from her."

"Wow," said Will, "no offense kid, but your mom sounds like a real bitch."

"That's the understatement of the year," said Jonny, "she just about blamed me for all the woes in her life. For us being so poor, for her losing her figure, for ruining her chances of being rich and famous. She often told me she wish she'd aborted me."

"Goddamn," said Will, "that's unfair, blaming you for everything wrong in her life."

"It's alright," said Jonny, though the misery in his reddened eyes said otherwise, "I don't need her. I don't need any fucking body. I can take care of myself. I've been on my own all this time and didn't die, did I?"

To Will's alarm, Jonny burst into tears.

"Do you know what it's like?" asked Jonny between sobs. "Do you know what it's like to have your own mother look at you with such hatred in her eyes? Do you know what it feels like to have your mother tell you that you're a waste of space? Do you have any idea how it feels to grow up without your father in your life? I hate it, man, I fucking hate it. I wish I was dead. FUCKING DEAD!"

"Fuck," said Will heavily, "don't say that, kid."

"I mean it, man," said Jonny, "I wish I'd die. "It's why I always do stupid things. Part of me hopes I'll be killed. And every day I'm disappointed."

He put his hand into his knees and wept earnestly. Will wished he wouldn't have gave him the joint. He walked over to the bed and sat next to Jonny and patted him consolingly.

"Don't man-" said Jonny weakly as Will tried to hug him.

"Bullshit," said Will, "you need one."

He hugged Jonny tightly, patting him on the back. Jonny relented, continuing to sob into Will's t-shirt. Will wanted so desperately to tell him. But not while he was in such a vulnerable position. He'd have to keep his counsel until after they got the money.

 _A few days later..._

"HE WHAT!" Will roared, "tell me you're joking, Eddie, tell me you're fucking joking!"

"I'm sorry, Will!" said Eddie, "I went to his apartment to pick up the money and he was gone. Whole place cleaned out."

"Well you'd better fucking find him!" said Will in a dog like snarl as he stalked toward Eddie, who cowered in fear.

"That's impossible!" said Eddie, "the guy could be anywhere in the world."

"Well you'd better be prepared to scour the Earth for him," said Will in a deadly tone. "If the mother fucker goes to Italy, you'd better be hiding in a bowl of spaghetti ready to cap him! Find that money or the cops will never be able to find you!"

He stormed out of the pawn shop and got inside Jonny's Buick, where Jonny and Rome were waiting."

"Everything good?" asked Rome.

"Bad news," said Will, "the guy who moved the jewelry for us ran off with the money."

"WHAT?!" said Jonny and Rome at the same time.

"You've got to be kidding!" said Rome.

"Does it look like I'm fucking kidding?" snapped Will. "I hope Eddie finds him before I do, because I'll kill him and feed his corpse to a pack of wild wolves!"

"I knew it was too good to be true," said Jonny. "What're we going to do?"

"Well not all hope is lost," said Will, "because there's one thing I've put off. But since this is an emergency, I might as well tell you."

"Tell us what?" asked Rome.

"Fifteen years ago, before I got locked up I robbed a mob boss," said Will. "Over 50 million dollars worth of gold and diamonds I took from them. I hid them in a wall in an abandoned factory in Maplewood, but I got arrested before I could go back for them."

Jonny let out a low whistle.

"Do you think it's still there?" asked Rome.

"That's what we're going to find out," said Will. "Jonny, drive us to Maplewood."


	10. Chapter 10

"The factory I hid the gold and jewels in was on Maplewood Avenue, between Cypress and Valley Street," said Will.

"Maplewood between Cypress and Valley?" asked Rome, as Jonny stopped at a red light.

"Yeah," said Will.

"They turned that into a supermarket," said Rome, "Hestia's Food Mart. R.M. Fliehr owns it."

"That old bastard owns half of New Jersey," said Will, "but besides that, the fact that they turned it into a supermarket means they didn't tear it down. I read the newspapers and watched news damn near every day. I never got wind of gold and jewels being discovered. Trust me, it would have made the news."

Half an hour later, Johnny pulled up in the parking lot of Hestia's Food Mart. It had a fancy look to it, with its wood and stone facade and Hathor's in bold, red lettering.

The interior was even more impressive. The whole environment was tidy and upbeat with bold neon print designs, brick columns, and color coordinated aisles. The produce section looked fresh. They even had open buffets.

"The storages should be by the deli section if I remember correctly," said Will, "that's where I hid the gold."

They walked past the produce section. Jonny snuck a handful of grapes and hurried after Will and Rome.

Sure enough, by the deli section were the doors to the storage room. The three men walked nonchalantly inside. Workers everywhere were stocking boxes unto handtrucks or they were opening boxes, getting them ready to be shelved. None of them seemed to notice Will, Jonny, or Rome.

Will kept walking further along the storage area and made a right. He came to an abrupt stop, causing Will and Rome to bump into him.

"My bad," said Will, "the wall is right here."

He felt it.

"It looks like it hasn't been messed with, besides the paint job," said Will. "We're going to have to come back after hours, when no one's here. "

"We'll need a sledgehammer," said Rome.

"Right," said Will, "we'll pick one up at the Home Depot."

"Hey," said a voice from behind them. They spun around and saw a guy in blue coveralls, short, but burly, slightly balding and dull brown eyes, "is there any reason you three are back here?"

"Sorry, we were looking for the bathroom," said Will, "this is a big store you have."

"The bathroom's by the seafood section," said the man, "by the 10th aisle."

"Thanks, a lot," said Will. He beckoned Jonny and Rome and went on his way.

"We're coming back here tonight," said Will once they were in the car again, "when the store's about to close."

"What do we do for the rest of the day?" asked Rome, "it's only eleven o'clock."

Will pulled a bag of weed from out his leather jacket.

"Chill out, I suppose," he said. "Do you smoke?"

"I haven't every since my daughter was born," said Rome, "my wife doesn't like that stuff."

Jonny coughed something that sounded an awful lot like "Square."

"Drive us to the nearest liquor store, Jonny," said Will, "we're getting some rollies and some gin. Show ol' Rome here how to have a good time again."


End file.
